Massage device

ABSTRACT

A massage device consisting of a plurality of rollers having projections, the rollers being mounted for rotation on a carrier, rotation occurring when the rollers are placed in contact with a portion of the body to be massaged and the carrier is moved in a direction normal to the axis of rotation of said rollers, the said projections preferably being of resilient material although firm enough to press into the fleshy and muscular portions of the body to produce massaging action when reciprocated over a portion of the body causing the rollers to rotate.

United States Patent [1 1 3,672,358 Majewski June 27, 1972 [s41 MASSAGE DEVICE 569,104 7/1958 Belgium 128/57 17,750 1895 G tB 't [72] lnventor: Eugene J. Majewski, 121 North Elmore 2 m6 H1889 xz am Avenue, Park g m 60068 22 Filed; 2 1970 I Primary Examiner-Lawrence W. Trapp Attorney-Ernest S. Kettelson [21] Appl. No.: 94,416

[57] ABSTRACT [52] U.S.Cl ..l28/58 A massage device consisting f a plurality f rollers having CL projections, the rollers being mounted for rotation on a carri- [58] Field of Search ..128/243, 57, 58 rotation occurring when the toners are placed in Contact with a portion of the body to be massaged and the carrier is References cued moved in a direction normal to the axis of rotation of said rollers, the said projections preferably being of resilient material UNITED STATES PATENTS although firm enough to press into the fleshy and muscular 2,003,272 5/1935 Betz ..l28/57 po ons o he body to produce massaging action when 2,578,916 12/ 1951 Belleville 128/57 reciprocated over a portion of the body causing the rollers to 1,671,019 5/1928 Fal ck ....l28/57 rotate- 1,700,633 l/1929 Hendnckson ..128/58 1 claimzo Drawing Figures FOREIGN PATENTS 0R APPLICATIONS 206,106 1 H1959 Austria ..128/57 3 I z I A A i e I 13 2 J MAJ FM N N .h

PATENTEDJUHN I972 SHEET 1 BF 6 u 1? mm a: m i 6 INVENTOR EUGENE J.MAJEWSK| ATTORNEY PATENTEDJUN 27 1972 SHEET 2 OF 6 FIG.4

INVENTOR EUGENE J. MAJEWSKI BY WA (mm ATTORNEY FATE-Mann? I972 SHEET Q 0F 6 FIGS INVENTOR EUGENE J. MAJEWSKI ATTORNEY PATEHTEDJUMIM 3.672358 SHEET sur 6 F|G.l7 K EUGENEJMAJEWSKI B QMMJ mzwzw ATTORNEY INVE'NTOR V PATENTEDJUHE? 1972 3,672,358

SHEET 8 or e INVENTOR EUGENE J.MAJEWSKI BY 6M ,4. (mm,

ATTORNEY MASSAGE DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a massage device comprising essen tially rollers having resilientprojections and a carrier on which said rollers are mounted for rotation when incontact with'a portion of the body to be massaged and the carrier is moved in a direction normal to the axis of rotation of said rollers. The rollers may be elongated such as cylindrical, longitudinally convex, or having a shaft with projections mounted at each end. The rollers may also be planar, spherical or of other shapes. The projections maybe integrally formed on the rollers as ribs, ridges, or fingers. The projections may also consist of bristles, fingers or other protrusions mounted on the rollers by adhesives or by mechanical means such as screws threaded into the rollers. The carrier may be in the form of a belt with spaced apart "loops or bearings being formed or mounted transversely on said belt for rotatably carrying the shaft of a roller having resilient projections mounted at each end of said shaft along each opposite edge of said belt. The carrier may be in the form of two spacedparallel strips of flexible material with planar, cylindrical, spherical, or longitudinally convex rollers mounted for rotation therebetween in spaced apart relation. The carriers in the form of a belt or spaced parallel strips include grasping meansat each end, such as loops for grasping by each hand orfittings for attachment to a power source. The carrier may also be in the form of a solid body having recesses and bearings for rotatably mounting said rollers in said recesses with the projections on said rollers extending outward from the surface of said body to contact the flesh and rotate to produce massaging action when the carrier is moved in a direction normal to the axis of rotation of said rollers mounted therein. This latter type of carrier may be held in ones hand and used for example to massage ones face. The belt or parallel strip type of carrier is best adapted for massaging ones back, shoulders and neck region, as well as the extremities such as arms and legs.

Previous types of massage devices haveemployed such elements as non-yielding or non-resilient rollers which can be harmful especially when rolling over bony portions of the body. Such rollers would be particularly harmful if they included projections. Other known massage devices include contact elements which are not rotatable and which could cause skin burns. Still other known massage devices include contact elements spaced apart on an elastic carrier to stretch and contract the elements in contact with the skin to provide a pinching effect. I

The massage device in accordance with this invention is particularly novel in that it accomplishes by rotational movement of the rollers having resilient projections the probing and kneading action of the human fingers of a professional masseur. By mounting these unique type of rollers with resilient projections on carriers of' the types described, an individual can perform massaging treatment by himself on any part of his own body without assistance from another.

The invention described herein includes the subject matter described and shown in Disclosure Document No. 001,919 received in the United States Patent Office on April 22, I970.

- SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A massage device comprising essentially a plurality of-rollers having resilient projections mounted in spaced apart relation on a carrier for rotation when said projections are in contact with a portion of the body to be massaged and said carrier is moved in a direction normal to the axis of rotation of said rollers.

It is an object of this invention to provide a massage device having rotatable rollers with resilient projections to accomplish the probing and kneadingaction of the human fingers of a professional masseur.

It is an object of this invention to provide a massage device having rotatable rollers with resilient projections, the number of such projections being variable from a low number to provide more vigorous massage to a larger number to provide less vigorous massage for an equivalent amount of pressure and speed of rotation.

It is an object of this invention to provide a massage device having rotatable rollers of various forms and configurations. said rollers also having resilient projections of various forms and configuration, such differencesin forms and configurations providing any desired type and degree ofmassage for the different parts of the body such as the face, the scalp, the neck, the shoulders, the back, the chest, and the extremities such as anns, hands, legs and feet.

It is an object of this invention to provide a massage device that may be operated manually by an individual to massage any part of his own body without the assistance of another, such massage being equivalent to that of the human fingers of a professional masseur.

It is an object of this invention to provide a massage device that may be connected to a power source for powered operation.

It is an object of this invention to provide a massage device that may include various types of carriers as flexible belts, spaced parallel strips of flexible material, and solid bodies having means to mount rollers with resilient projections for rotation when said resilient projections are in contact with the portion of the body to be massaged and said carriers are moved in a direction normal to the axis of rotation of said rollers.

Further objects of thisinvention will be obvious in light of the following more detailed description of this invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a plan view, partially broken, of the massage device in accordance with this invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the massage device shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a section taken on line 33 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a section taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of an individual roller with resilient projections used in the massage device shown in FIG. 1

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the individual roller shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a plan view, partially broken, of a modification of the massage device in accordance with this invention having a carrier consisting of spaced parallel strips of flexible material.

FIG. 8 is a side elevation view of the massage device shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a side elevation view of a roller for use in accordance with this invention having three projections.

FIG. 10 is a side elevation view of a roller for use in accordance with this invention having four projections.

FIG. 11 is a side elevation view of a roller for use in accordance with this invention having five projections.

FIG. 12 is a side elevation view of a roller for use in accordance with this invention having six projections.

FIG. 13 is a side elevation view of two rollers for use in accordance with this invention, each having the same number of projections but illustrating that the length of the projections may vary to provide different massage action for the same amount of pressure and speed of rotation.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a modified roller for use in accordance with this invention, said roller being spherical with the projections being ridges formed integrally with said roller. 65

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a modified roller for use in accordance with this invention, said roller being longitudinally convex with the projections being conical shaped members mounted on said roller.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a modified roller for use in accordance with this invention, said roller being cylindrical with the projections being bristles mounted on and extending from said roller.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of another modification of the massage device in accordance with this invention having a carrier consisting of a solid body showing rollers having projections of resilient material mounted for rotation in recesses in said carrier with a number of said projections extending outwardly from the surface of the solid body carrier, bottom of said carrier shown being held in the palm ofa hand.

FIG. 18 is a section taken on line 18-18 of FIG. 17 illustrating the rollers mounted for rotation in the recesses of said carrier.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of another modification of the massage device in accordance with this invention, having a longitudinal axis carrier on which said rollers are mounted for rotation, handles at each end of said axis, and spacers between said rollers.

FIG. 20 is a section taken on line 20-20 of FIG. 19 illustrating the longitudinal axis in section and a spacer thereon in section.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to the drawings in detail, rollers 1 having projections 2 of resilient material are mounted in pairs long opposite edges of carrier belt 3 for rotation on axles 4. Belt 2 is comprised of two layers 5 and 6 which are bonded together in spaced segments with interposed non-bonded sections 7 through which bearings 8 are inserted. Bearings 8 are provided with flanges 9 at each end which protrudes from the opposite edges of belt 3. The flanges 9 serve to retain bearings 8 in place in belt 3, and also to bear against inner spacing washers 10 inserted between flanges 9 and rollers l. Axles 4 are inserted through bearings 8 and through the bore 11 of each roller I along each opposite edge of belt 3, as well as through spacing washers 10 between flanges 9 and rollers 1 and through outer spacing washers 12. The axles 4 are flared at each end to bear against and hold outer spacing washers 12 in place between the flared ends of axles 4 and the outer sides of rollers I.

The belt 3 is provided at each end with loops 13 to serve as hand grasp means. The loops 13 are formed by overturning each free end of belt 3 and fastening to inward portions of belt 3 by means of snaps 14. The snaps 14 may be positioned inward on belt 13 at varying positions to provide different working lengths of the belt 3 with rollers I for massaging contact with portions of the body.

The belt 3 is of flexible material such as plastic or fabric. The bonded segments may be stitched, or if of plastic such as vinyl or polyethylene may be heated sealed. The non-bonded sections 7 extend transversely across belt 3, so when bearings 8 are inserted therethrough the axes of bearings 8 are normal to the longitudinal axis of belt 3. Thus, when axles 4 are inserted and rollers I mounted thereon, rollers l rotate when projections 2 are placed in contact with a portion of the body to be massaged and belt 3 is moved in a direction normal to the axis of rotation. The carrier belt 3 is moved primarily in a reciprocating motion back and forth over the part of the body being massaged. However, it may also be moved in an oscillatory motion so the projections 2 probe and knead into the body flesh in an oscillating manner as the rollers 1 are rotated.

The projections 2 are of resilient material such as natural rubber, synthetic rubber, sponge rubber, or plastics such as polyureathane foam. The material is relatively firm to enable probing and kneading into body portions being massaged, but resilient enough to prevent damage or injury to body organs, bruises or burns 0n the skin and injury to bony portions of the body. The firmness and resilience of the material should preferably approximate that of the human fingers.

The number of projections 2 on each roller 1 may vary from as few as two or three to as many as six or more. The fewer the number of projections 2, the more vigorous will be the massaging action for the same rotational speed and pressure. The projections 2 may also vary in projection length, the longer the projection length the more vigorous the massaging action for the same rotational speed and pressure. The projections 2 may be oftriangular configuration.

A modified form of the invention is shown in FIG. 7. The carrier belt 3a includes two spaced parallel strips 15 and 16. The rollers 1 are mounted for rotation between parallel strips 15 and 16 by means of axles 4a extending through bores 11 of the rollers l and through holes in parallel strips 15 and I6, whichare joined at each end by handles 18.

Another modified form of the invention is shown in FIG. 17. The carrier 3b includes a solid body of shape and dimension to be held in the palm of one's hand. Loops may be provided to hold the carrier to the hand. Recesses 19 are provided on the side 20 of carrier 3b opposite the side facing the palm of the hand. Rollers l are rotatably mounted on axles 4b so one or more of the projections 2 extend outward from side 20 of carrier 3b for contact with a portion of the body to be massaged. This modification is particularly useful for facial massage, and for massaging other small regions of the body.

A further modification of this invention is shown in FIG. 19, the carrier 3c including a longitudinal axle 21 of flexible material such as nylon cord, rollers I mounted thereon for rotation in spaced apart relation, and spacer tubes 22 surrounding said longitudinal axle 21 and mounted between said rollers 1. Handles 23 are provided at each end of longitudinal axle 21, the inner edges 24 of said handles 23 forming abutment means to hold the respective rollers 1 adjacent thereto in place on longitudinal axle 21.

FIGS. 9 through 16 illustrate a variety of modified rollers which may be used in accordance with this invention, having projections of different number, different size and different configuration. The projections on said rollers may conveniently range from three to six in number, the lesser number of projections producing the more vigorous massage action for the same amount of pressure and same speed of rotation of the rollers. Similarly the longer the length of projection, the more vigorous the massage for constant pressure and speed of rotation. The projections may be in the form of ridges as illustrated in FIG. 14 which are formed integrally on a spherical shaped roller. The projections may be conical in shape as illustrated in FIG. 15. The projections may be bristles as illustrated in FIG. 16, and such bristles may be of plastic materials such as polyethylene or vinyl. The rows of bristles may be mounted on said rollers in straight lines, or helically to form a spiral. Projections of the bristle form are particularly useful when light massaging effect is desired but with increased surface stimulation of the skin.

Thus while the projections in accordance with this invention are all of resilient material, they may be varied in number, size, shape and form to achieve a wide variety of massaging effects adapted to the needs of the various parts of the body without injury which can result from the use of other types of massage devices.

The massage device in accordance with this invention may be used by an individual to massage any desired portion of his own body without assistance from another person, and still achieve the type of probing and kneading action of the fingers of a professional masseur due to the particular form of the projections 2 provided for the rollers l of this invention, and the paritcular manner in which they are mounted on the various carriers 3, 3a, 3b and 30 as described and shown.

The particular forms of the invention described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings are preferred embodiments, and various changes in the size, shape, materials and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the scope of the invention or the attached claims.

Having thus set forth my invention, what I claim is:

I. A massage device comprising a carrier, a plurality of rollers mounted thereon in spaced apart relation, projections of resilient material extending radially from said rollers, said rollers being rotatable when said projections are placed in contact with a portion of the body to be massaged and said carrier is moved reciprocally in directions normal to the axis of rotation of said rollers, wherein said carrier is a flexible belt, bearings mounted transversely across said belt at longitudinally spaced intervals, axles extending through said bearings, and one of said rollers mounted on each end of each of said axles thus providing longitudinally spaced rollers along each opposite edge of said belt. 

1. A massage device comprising a carrier, a plurality of rollers mounted thereon in spaced apart relation, projections of resilient material extending radially from said rollers, said rollers being rotatable when said projections are placed in contact with a portion of the body to be massaged and said carrier is moved reciprocally in directions normal to the axis of rotation of said rollers, wherein said carrier is a flexible belt, bearings mounted transversely across said belt at longitudinally spaced intervals, axles extending through said bearings, and one of said rollers mounted on each end of each of said axles thus providing longitudinally spaced rollers along each opposite edge of said belt. 